2015 - Day 212/153 - Friday...

Can you believe it is the last day of July already? AND Friday to boot! Not much that could be better than that! How long is it till Christmas?

We have had some concerns (I was worried) about the girl cat lately. We had not seen her in several days, there was some thoughts that she had not eaten the dry food we set out for her (she is very dainty and neat with her table manners) and most recently the dry food was strewn all about. Then for the last two nights she had not eaten wither the dry food OR the moist food. I had decided last night that I would only put out the dry food and see if it was consumed over night. As I was placing her food out on the protected back deck, there she was, bigger'n Dallas, waiting patiently outside the gate. So, I quickly fixed her plate of most food and put it out for her. Bottom line, she ignored the moist food. My recommendation; do not waste your money on "shredded" cat food. When I told Jody last night the the girl cat was eating the dry food and ignoring the moist food, he asked if it was the "shredded" food, and that our indoor cat (Missy, now deceased) would not eat it either and he bought it accidentally. Face facts, if a domesticated cat (albeit one with a discerning palate) will not eat it and a wild barn cat (who alternately survives on rodents, baby rabbits and lizards) won't eat it, it is not a difficult conclusion that it is not fit for feline consumption.

The girl dog seems not to take issues with it, though.

In the early days of this journal (about seven years ago or so), it was not unusual for me to include multiple photos in each entry. Two or three photos were not uncommon. My entries have become more compact, and I cannot remember the last time I included more than one photo. Today is a special day though, because as I mentioned to you (gentle readers) in my post yesterday, I got some very special photos at our State Capitol yesterday. This is a photo far up in the building, between the inside dome and the outside dome. Very, very interesting. Maybe one or two more before you get bored with it, we shall see.

We actually had a trace of rain today. I accumulated about a dozen drops of rain on the windshield today on two different trips, and there was evidence of rain drops on the dusty mail box up at the road. I fear that will be it for the day, and we will end the month dangerously lacking in the precipitation department.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DROPLETS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 211/154 - Thursday...

After a busy day yesterday (and into the late evening), today proved to be a busy day as well, although I am now happily ensconced at the edge of nowhere, getting ready to head for the blue chair and an early conclusion to the day. This morning was the ABoR TREPAC Major Investor breakfast at the UT Club on the University of Texas Campus. Our association has about 40 major investors and we were well represented with those colleagues, elected officials, local, state and national association volunteers and staff. We were very, VERY proud to welcome NAR REALTOR® Party Liaison Kenny Parcell to join us and speak with about the REALTOR® Party and the roles we all play in being advocates and role models for property owner rights and REALTOR® issues. The event was a tribute to the colleagues in our association that are on the ground, spreading the word, talking-the-talk but most importantly walking-the-walk. These are the folks that are not in it for the recognition; these are the people who are believers in the PAC, not the folks that are looking for perks or special treatment. If that is what you are looking for, this is the wrong place for you. This is grass roots at its' finest.

Please enjoy the music while he steps down from his soap-box. Thank you very much.

After the breakfast, I hustled Kenny to a quick tour of our new association building. We are very proud of that facility, and we worked hard for it to be a world-class facility. After that tour, we headed off to the TAR offices adjacent to the State Capitol. We had arranged for a behind the scenes tour of the capital, and it was GREAT! I will share a few photos of the structural parts of the impressive building that are not generally seen, and I have MORE STORIES to tell about that experience that will last a good long while. The photo two paragraphs above is of Casey, Kenny, Steven and me outside the building, enjoying the view, glistening and enjoying the history of our State Capitol!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HISTORY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 210/155 - Wednesday...

This has been another one of those days in which I have asked more than once "What day is it"? I am staying in Austin tonight, and was greeted with some home made jellies and jams. I had nothing to do with it, but it is really appreciated. Thanks Candy!

It was a busy day, and tomorrow is expected to be just about as busy. I got into the office this morning about 8:30 and headed out pretty quickly to the board offices. We had a really good agents forum, and then another meeting, then I had a couple errands to run, and then back to the office.

George and June (you read about them here last week) invited me to dinner this evening, and that was very nice and a great opportunity to just sit down and talk with them. We had a wonderful dinner and lots of good conversation, and I will keep you all up to date on their goings on in the future. Wonderful people, and I am lucky to know them.

After dinner, I had one more meeting downtown, plotting and planning, strategizing and mobilizing. A great deal of conversation with someone I totally respect and admire, and I will report more about that tomorrow.

I was able to remain on schedule however. My goal was to be done between 10 and 10:30, and I got to the condo at about 10:15. Perfect! I am conscious long enough to watch The Tonight Show about once every three months or so, and that is what I am doing right now as I type this.

Perfect.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, JELLIES AND JAMS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 209/156 - Tuesday...

I do not want to post the opinion that EVERYONE in Texas shares this particular feeling about folks that are moving here from exotic places (like New Jersey and Poughkeepsie) but I would venture to say that this opinion is shared by a whole lot of people on a daily basis while traversing the inadequate and poorly enduring highway system in and around central Texas. So here is the deal; Austin was a small ranching community for many years. It also happened to be the center of state government and home to the flagship University in Texas. When I moved here is 1985, our economy was not terribly diversified, and there were a couple economic busts. The city diversified, became less dependent on government and the University, and was discovered by high tech firms (and all that goes along with it). Years ago, IBM moved here to produce the IBM Selectric, and that was the beginning of the end. Blame it on IBM. It is okay with me.

In other news, it was a busy day and I found myself saying (more than once) that if I can just get through this week, life will calm down. I think I also said that last week. And the week before. And I can imagine myself muttering those words next week as well.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MUTTERINGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 208/157 - Monday...

Most every evening, after dinner and before I go to sit in the blue chair, I sit at my desk at home and ponder out the window. Sometimes I already know what I am going to preach about in a journal entry, and sometimes I marvel at how mundane my day was and that no one in their right mind could have the least little bit of interest in what I did, what I still have to do and/or what I plan to do. Almost on a daily basis, I get inquiries about this thing or another, and I try my best to answer those questions to the best of my ability. I will expand on my day a little bit more in the following paragraphs, but for now, I just want to comment about this: do you see the pineapple shaped candle holder on the table on the front porch looking out from the office window? What you most likely cannot see in this photo is the largest red wasp colony ever seen this side of Tijuana. There are wasps and hornets all over out here this year, and the pest folks are scheduled for an early Wednesday morning visit. Hopefully, the wasp population will be diminished considerably by late Wednesday morning.

On second thought, I think it ill conceived to discuss the goings-on of my day. Just let it be assume that I fill all the time of my waking hours, doing good (I hope) for humanity, and not bogging others down with the details.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, WASPS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 207/158 - Sunday...

My friend Nancy's parent raised (or were avid fans of) Frangipani, and one time when we were together at one meeting or another, I mentioned my fondness for them. That must have been springtime a year ago, because last fall Nancy sent me three cuttings from one of her plants. They weathered the winter in the garage, and it seems they have settled in this year, and have begun blooming. They are slow to start their blooming, but I think they will take off shortly and provide us with some really beautiful displays. I love the fragrance of these blooms, to me they smell like buttered popcorn, but that is just the uneducated palate in me coming in to play. I can remember when I was still in high school in Michigan, Avon made a line of products that were Frangipani scented, and my mother would buy the soaps and perfumes, and I always liked it. Hmmm...

I did manage to get the rest of the front yard cut this morning, as well as the girl dog's yard. It looks somewhat presentable in the front of the house, and since there has been NO RAIN in the entire month of July, that may be the last time the front yard needs to be cut for a while. We are again seeing large cracks in the earth, and the surface is really dry. I think there is some moisture about six inches down or so, but the surface is really dry. The tanks in the back pastures still have water in them so that is good for the cattle.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PLUMERIA, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 206/159 - Saturday...

The girl cat has been taking advantage of the food I have been putting out for her, although her sightings have been relatively sparse. She ate all the moist and the dry food overnight (Jody frets that some other beastie is getting the food), and this morning while we were reading the paper she decided to hang out by the pool and survey her domain. She then walked across the patio (paying no attention at all to the chickens that were eating the birdseed Jody had spread for them) and meandered to her private dining section where she was last seen happily crunching on a fresh supply of dry food I put out for her this morning. She is a funny cat!

I did get a little bit of extra sleep this morning, and while Jody and I were getting ready for breakfast, he mentioned that, if I were going to cut grass, perhaps I should get it done before breakfast before it got too hot outside. My response was "Oh Hell No!" My plan was to make breakfast and then go get into the blue chair and take a nap. AND THEN I would (perhaps) go cut some grass. As it turned out, I did take a nap, and I did cut the front grass from the house to the bamboo, so about half of the front yard. There is always tomorrow for more grass cutting, and more naps, too.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CAT-NAPS (get it?), Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 205/160 - Friday...

Oh my, it's Friday. Finally. It has been a long, busy week. Today we were hosts of the TAR Regions 8 and 15 Mega-Regional Meeting. Lots of our colleagues descended on the board offices, and we were brought up to date with all the goings-on of our state association by past and present TAR Chairmen, the association executives and other members from central Texas. It was a great meeting and after the meetings we were offered some complimentary MCE classes. I took a class on Competitive Market Analyses and that was great. This is a photo of former TAR Chair Dan Hatfield, me and current TAR Chair Scott Kesner taken on the 'Harris Terrace' at the Austin Board of REALTORS®. A lot of people from throughout the regions and at TAR and ABoR took part in making this a great meeting, and I appreciate all that hard work.

After all that was over, I went and let a client into a property so he could make sure the new bed he ordered would fit (it will) and then I headed home.

Nothing on the weekend schedule (so far) except to get some grass cut before the temperatures hit the century mark. We have not had a single day with temperatures at or above 100 degrees this year, and that is something worth noting. But, don't hold your breath, it will happen (most likely) in the next day or so.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SELFIES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 204/161 - Thursday...

Maddy is always a little bit suspicious when she goes for a ride that is 'extra-long'. This morning I took her in to the dog laundry, where she got a wash, rinse and fold. She also got a nail job and a bow in her hair (that lasted about 10 minutes). She is back home and looking very spiffy, if I do say so myself.

A good day in the office, lots of this and that going on. On-line education classes, leases, offers and it is almost that time of the month again.

Tomorrow is a full day of meetings, and then it is the weekend. Checking into some obedience training for me and Jody. The girl dog is just about at her wits end with us!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DOG LAUNDRY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 203/162 - Wednesday...

TGIW! I lead such a glamorous life, I can hardly wait for the weekend. Photo shoots, dinners, luncheons, meetings, jetting here and there. Hobnobbing, escorting, attending, composing, briefing, being de-briefed, compiling, reviling and revealing. And then there are the dishes. After the glamour filled day, I come home, shed my clothes, go into the office, see what is happening, join Jody for a yummy dinner and then do the dishes. Jody cooks, I clean. Almost every night, it occurs to me how glamorous my life is, filled with remembrances of the day, while I wash the dishes while dressed in my boxers. Curious, isn't it?

Look up sarcasm.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DISHES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 202/163 - Tuesday...

Meet George and June. George and June were among my first real estate clients back in 1995 when I was a newly licensed REALTOR® and I was working with Teresa. In twenty years, I have only been associated with three agencies (one of those lasted only about 15 minutes), and for the last 15 years I have been partnered with my business-wife Carrie. Anyway, George and June (J) asked me to help them lease a couple of their rental properties. Over those years, I leased each of those properties a half-dozen times or more. They were great landlords, so their tenants did not flip every year or so. It was always nice to hear from them, even though I tested June with my sarcasm and smart-aleckedness every chance I got. They always came back for more. A couple years ago, they asked me to represent one of the investment properties for sale, and I did. Later I was asked to help them sell the other lease property, and we worked together to get that accomplished. Earlier this year, they made the decision to down-size and take up residence in a retirement facility. We closed on that transaction today, and this morning I have to admit I got a little bit teary eyed. June asked me where the tears were, and I told her I would cry in the car. As I write this, I am getting a little bit teary eyed again. George and June are wonderful people and I am honored to have gained their trust (and affection) over the years, in spite of myself. Twenty years is a long time to work with clients (who also become friends), and I won't be working with them (probably) on real estate transactions, but I will give them a call every now and then, and I hope they will call me too.

I love me some George and June.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, GEORGE AND JUNE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 201/164 - Monday...

Late yesterday evening (or maybe it was afternoon, who knows), Hubert called to see if we were home, he aid Pauline wanted to come by and bring us some snap beans, the last of the season from her garden. I made out like a bandit on that visit, because not only did she bring the snap beans, but she brought me a bog of her cookies. I love those cookies, and generally claim them was my own when she brings them by. Jody will have to make do with the cookies we got from Costco, and I will luxuriate myself with Pauline's cookies!

I was talking to one of my clients today, and she had just returned from a week of vacation, and was exclaiming about all the stuff that had awaited her return. I think I will see if I can get this through Congress; when you return from vacation, you should only be allowed to return to work on Thursday. That way you get to do a soft-acclimation back into business, and you work for two days, then you have the weekend, and THEN you are back to a Monday. In my opinion, you should NEVER return to work from vacation on a Monday, it is just too damn stressful for all parties concerned. If you would care to sign my petition, please let me know and I will send it your way via DocuSign.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, THURSDAYS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 200/165 - Sunday...

I moved eight bales of hay this morning before breakfast. That might not sound like an accomplishment to most of you, but these bales were down the road in Randy's waterway. Basically, grass cut along the side of the neighbor's road in the ditch. In my city-boy kind of world, any kind of incline or decline on a tractor is a path to destruction, and in this case, it was my own destruction. I moved these bales early this morning so in case I did something extraordinarily stupid, there would not be too many witnesses. 13.4 miles per hour with 3,000 pounds of hay bales (total front and back) seems like about 150 miles an hour if you do not do this for a living. Anyway, i got those bales stored, came in and cooked a pile of eggs and went out and got the rest out of the front pasture. Combined with the bales from Randy, we got 125 bales with this cutting, and we expect to get another cutting before the season is over. We have a lot of hay, and so does everyone else around us. With rain comes hay, with no rain comes no hay.

Other than moving hay, about the only productive thing I did today was to get the chicken coop cleaned out. Jody and I went to Olive Garden for dinner tonight. I remember pretty clearly what I ordered, but I have no idea what they delivered to my table, and (therefore) I have no idea what I ate for dinner. Whatever it was, it was in a dish that was totally inappropriate for the food, but we did bring home the leftovers. I am thinking of taking it into the Medical Examiners office in the morning to see if thy can figure out what it is/was. See if this helps: It was red and beige. That's all I got.

The coming week is not looking to be as busy as some, but there are plenty of things on my schedule. Try as I might, I continue to be over-scheduled.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, HAY, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 199/166 - Saturday...

Last night the girl cat seemed overly cautious. It took her a good thirty minutes to come from outside the gate to inside the gate. When she finally made it inside the gate, she left before eating any of the food we put down for her. Within about an hour she had been back and cleaned the plate, but I am not sure why she was so skittish about it. Usually she will just wait until all the commotion of door openings and closings subsides and she is there. Last night she just did not seem to be herself. We will see what happens tonight.

I did sleep in this morning until (I think) about 6:30 and begrudgingly only got up then because a girl dog decided that I had slept enough. That was followed by jumping between the beds to see which of us she could rouse first, and I won that prize. It was already pretty light outside when I got up, so the first point of business was to go let the girls loose from the coop. Gathered up the newspaper, made some coffee and a pile of eggs, and then got ready to go show property.

I was back home by 1 o'clock, and happily spread-eagle (man-spread) in the blue chair, working on a nap. After a little while, Jody and I went into Georgetown for lunch, then back home where I resumed my position in the blue chair.

There was no movement among the hay bales today, as best I can tell. We will see what happens tomorrow.

Deed, Actions, Changes, GIRL CT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 198/167 - Friday...

According to this sunrise, it was a pretty darned good start to the day. It stayed pretty good, too, for the most part. What day does not have its' ups and downs? What peak does not have a valley? What closing does not get postponed? BAH!

But really, it was a good day. I got into the office a little bit early and got a little bit of power real estate done before heading off to a Top Producer Forum at the Board of REALTORS®. It was an opportunity for me to speak to many colleagues about TREPAC and the value of investing in their careers and their futures, so that is always a positive thing.

After that meeting, it was back to the office, via Upper Crust, and more desk clearing. I was able to get a couple lease applications approved, spoke with some landlords, made arrangements to show some property with buyer clients tomorrow, and just in general did a lot of coordinating, which is what we all do.

Poor television selections tonight, will sleep in a little while tomorrow, planning to move some hay bales tomorrow after breakfast, before showing property.

Wish me luck.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, CLOUDS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 197/168 - Thursday...

Jody and I went into Walburg for dinner tonight at Dale's Essenhaus, hone of the Walburger. Jody had an original Walburger, and I went with a Patty Melt. I am not typical a fan of rye bread, but if it is part of a Patty Melt, I can tolerate it. We shared an order of onion rings, too, and the place was packed. PACKED I tell you! The two restaurants in Walburg (as a rule) are (and stay) much busier than the Crossroads Cafe in Schwertner! Just sayin'.

I was restless last night and did not sleep very well, not sure why, I just could not get comfortable. I had a really good day today, though. I taught (guided a group of Brokers through) a really good class today at the Austin Board; Broker Responsibility. I consider a class a success if the folks in the class have learned something (they all take away different things from a class), and I am extra happy when the folks in attendance me some comments or participate and give me ideas or suggest things that I have not thought of before. Both these goals were accomplished today. Bravo to all that were in the class!

One meeting tomorrow, determining (see tomorrow) whether I want to take on a new client or not, and the afternoon (as of this afternoon) has opened up and gives me a chance to sit at my desk and get some paperwork done.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, PATTY
MELTS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 196/169 - Wednesday...

So, there was no visual sighting of the girl cat last night, but about 20 minutes after I put the moist food out for her it was gone. Prior to that, the girl dog and I took a walk down the road, she was dressed appropriately in her fur wrap, and I was dressed inappropriately in my white boot socks
, pink Croc knock-offs, boxers and a t-shirt. I got about half-way through the walk, and the neighbors came driving down the road, stopped and we chatted. Most everyone out here expects to see me in my underwear and fake pink Crocs, so no one is surprised anymore. No big deal. This is a photo of me and the girl dog casting big shadow on the road, life is not bad on the edge of nowhere!

A busy day today, and that was good. I also had time to take an appraisal class with my friend Candy. It was a very good class, lots of good discussion. I am teaching a class tomorrow at ABoR, Broker Responsibility. I like that class a lot, it is more of a discussion class than a lecturing kind of class. Lots of good participation. It will be fun.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, SHADOWS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 195/170 - Tuesday...

Well, I have been calling and reaching out to the girl cat for the last week or so, and it has started to pay off. She is a little stand-offish of the girl dog, and the girl dog is certainly inquisitive. When we put the girl dog our in the fenced area, she decided that the food there must belong too her, so we have to remove it. I have finally started to get a response from her (the girl cat) at about 8:30 in the evening, sometime between my initial commence (piling up in the bed to watch tv) and putting the OTHER girls to bed ( which is about 8:50 pm now, and changes with the season). Anyway, last night, I was putting moist food out for the girl cat, gave her my very best kitty-kitty-kitty call and lo and behold she showed up and waited patiently while I went through my CDO routine of making sure everything was clean and ant-free. It took several trips from the back kitchen to the back deck to make sure everything was just-so, and she was patient while I assured her I was her friend, and she just need to wait a couple minutes. So she did, and I died, and this is one of the photographic documents of the event! In a matter of about five minutes, the moist food was gone and she was working on the dry food. This morning, there was not a trace of either one, and we will see how this exercise goes tonight.

Busy day today, lots of appointments, lots of stuff done in the office.

Life is good, I am the luckiest man in the world (Jason).

Deeds Actions, Changes, GIRL CAT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 194/171 - Monday...

Another busy day, and I got lots of work done AND attended two meetings, one of which was interminably long (not boring or meaningless, just long). It is interesting what you see and pay no-never-mind to out here on the edge of nowhere. I am not sure that this thing is street legal, and I am not even sure what it does, but overtime I see stuff like this I get visions of Star Wars and Space Invaders in my little pea-brain. And this is nothing, you should see them when they extend the 'arms'. I thought these Hollywood special effects guys were creative until I moved out to the farm lands, and found out that they just grew up on the farm and couldn't wait to move to the big city.

It is getting hot, and it is already humid, and people are beginning to glisten and get grouchy. Typical for Texas in the summer, it has just been postponed by about a month because of all the rains.
Hubert and Pauline baled seven more bales of hay from Randy and Irene's waterway today, and I will take the tractor out in the next day or two and fetch them.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, Kindnesses, World Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 193/172 - Sunday...

Although it feels like I got (even) less done today than I did yesterday, I think in reality it was a more productive day. I did manage to get all my prep done for my class on Thursday, now just a few finishing touches and everything will be a-okay! The girl dog has turned out not to be an idiot; she is excited to get up in the mornings and go outside to see if she can spy any bunnies, lizards, toads or dragons. Then when we get back inside and I have settled down to read the paper and have some coffee, she is perfectly content to jump up in the bad. She was acting positively civilized this morning, with her head on the pillow and everything!

I did manage to shred some of the grass in the back between the house and the pasture. It is drying out a little bit, and I think getting the tall grass down will help out the drying process. I also went into Bartlett and got some diesel for the tractor and the Polaris, as well as a can of gas for the various other things around here. We got all of the hay in the far back pastures moved, and about half (or maybe a third) of it in the front pasture moved. That will give me something to think about doing during the week. The new tractor is a BRUTE. A BRUTE I tell ya! It is HUGE. There was nothing in between the 30 (+/-) HP tractor we had and this new 50+HP one we have now. As usual, I am afraid of it, and cautious with it. The last thing I need is to tump over in it.

I also opened a pasture that I had kept the cattle off for (maybe) a month or two. At least a month for sure. Anyway, the grass is really high, they are having themselves a time, and they are fat and happy looking. What could be better?

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BRUTES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 192/173 - Saturday...

Honestly, I had very little motivation today. I did manage to make a pile of eggs for me and Jody, took a couple naps, went and put a sign and lock box on one house, went to lunch, took another nap, watched the news, gathered eggs, fed chickens, watered chickens, counted hay bales. To the best of my ciphering, we have 113 bales of hay, it is not that easy to count bale. Forty bales in the front pasture, 48 bales in the back pasture and 25 bales in the back 30. We have hay for the immediate future. The cattle are all fat and happy, kind of the same as Jody and me.

I need to get motivated and do some prep for a class I am teaching next Thursday. Prep is always easier with you know the subject, and I am looking forward to it.

Tomorrow will be a busy day; grass to be cut, coops to clean, hay bales to move and stack.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, MOTIVATION, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 191/174 - Friday...

Well, it's Friday, the end of another work week (for ordinary folks) and that means it is as good a day as any to push my numbers on this journal. Emily is always a good number pusher for this site, and the inclusion of baby Barrett is probably going to make my numbers go through the roof! Seeing baby Barrett for the first time since he was born on December 8th was right up there in the top two of three of my best moments this week. Fabulous! He is just as cute as a big bug, and he has a mean grip. He was not at all shy, I did not make him cry (which is my usual affect on small children) and the only shrieking that was done came from me when I same him being the center of attention this morning at the Board. It was great, and I am looking forward to many MANY more visits with him, his big brother and his mom and dad!

It was another busy day, and I have a few things to get accomplished tomorrow, but I think there is a nap or two in my future this weekend.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BARRETT, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 190/175 - Thursday...

Thursday, so that means tomorrow is Friday. It is hard to keep up sometimes, I find myself not really knowing what day it is. That is happening more frequently, too. Today, I pretty much did NOTHING interesting, and I had no interesting photos. At least no interesting photos that I could post and not be sued for having posted. SO, I had to find something interesting to take a photo of, and since I am staying in Austin tonight (I had a late evening meeting), there is nothing interesting to take a photo of, unless you think traffic and crowds are interesting. So, I have settled for this. Interesting.

Tomorrow will be another busy day, and I am looking forward to the weekend, where I will be able to get finished with all the stuff that I have not completed during the work week.

Thanks for asking.

Deeds, Actio
ns, Changes, NOTHING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 189/176 - Wednesday...

There is a hay baling ballet going on out here on the edge of nowhere. Everywhere you look, someone is cutting, raking or baling. Pauline AND Hubert were out on the back thirty, Pauline was raking and Hubert was baling. From where I was on the road, I counted 16 bales. I am always happy when there is baling going on, it means that not only do we have we produced the most expensive hay for cattle to eat (and then shit leading to the methane challenges) but we have also harvested something from the land. Not tomatoes (Reba) but something. Hay, cattle and chickens, that is what we do. Short attention span things. It will be interesting to see how many round bales we get from this first cutting, and there is always hope for a second cutting.

Crazy busy day today, tomorrow and Friday will be similar. I will play catch-up on the weekend.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BALES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 188/177 - Tuesday...

So, I think it is perfectly normal and acceptable to drive around with a lower jaw bone of your (now dead) bull on the floorboard of the truck (especially since it doesn't smell anymore), and a new package of pliers (that has been there for two or three years) and a package of auxiliary tail lights for the trailer. If you have a problem with that, I guess you won't be going riding with me in my truck.

It is only Tuesday, and I am not sure how much more multi-tasking I can do in three more days. I am going just as fast as I can, and there is a clown on a bicycle honking to pass. That was the punchline, if you want to hear the lead up to that punchline, just ask, I will be happy to share it.

Going in to the office early in the morning, and my first appointment is at 10:15. Then I have an 11:30 and then a 1:30. Then it will be back to the office to do some more power real estate, and that should about do it for the day.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, JAW BONES, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 187/178 - Monday...

The peach tree up by the road that we totally ignore and never pay a minutes attention to has consistently produced really REALLY delicious peaches. We did not plant it up there, and we have always thought it was a terrible place to have planted a tree that needs a certain amount of cultivation, but it always puts out lovely peaches. We got six off it, and there were probably twice that many on the ground waiting for the critters to come and enjoy. That is part of the problem, it is way up by the road, and not in an area that we traverse regularly. And with all the rain we have had this year, you have to risk near drowning situations to get over to it. Take the trees (two apples, two peaches and one plum) that Jody and I planted all neat and orderly behind the house about three years ago. Nothing. Nada. Nope. Nothing. Did I mention nothing? But that tree out front just thrives on abuse, an we appreciate it very much!

When I can home this afternoon, Pauline was out in the back cutting hay. I expect she and Hubert will be raking and maybe even start baling tomorrow or the next day. It will be interesting to see how many bales we get since we added the 30 acres to our spot here on the edge of nowhere.

Life is busy in Austin these days, and I am trying my best to pay attention to all the things that need to be paid attention to. We will see how lucky I am at that!

Deeds, Actions, Changes, NOTHING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 186/179 - Sunday...

For those of you that have been asking (thanks for that), Barney is (seemingly) alive and well and exhibiting a healthy appetite. Every night, after Jody and the girl dog have been out in the dog run, I go and put out a third-of-a-can of canned cat food for her, as a supplement to the dried food that Jody keeps out there. Lately, the plate has been licked clean, and the ants have taken up residence elsewhere. I think the ants were a problem because of all the rain, but they seem to have moved on. I was heading out to one of the back sheds this morning to do something (it is all a blur now) and there she was, her royal cat highness, perched in one of her favorite spots, on top of the Polaris so she can survey her domain with the least bit of effort. Needless to say, she was not at all pleased that I was going to move the Polaris, and she was not at all pleased later on in the day when she was unceremoniously evicted from a variety of hidey-holes here and as all manner of motorized and mechanized implements of destruction caused her to be awakened while the sun was shining, as she (most likely) prefers the nocturnal haunting of the property. Such is life, and such is the life of a barn cat out on the edge of nowhere.

I'll tell you something creepy, and that is how long the muscle contractions of a dead snake can keep going. As I reported earlier (for those of you that are also on Facebook, the long dead thing (formerly known as a snake) presented its' bounty of nest eggs to us early this morning via caesarian, and I retrieved the head part and it was still wiggling around. We put the body (sans nest eggs) in the back of the Polaris, and later when I deposited it in the trash can (along with the chicken that went on the the big nesting box in the sky earlier in the week) the snake torso was still flexing and it freaked me out. That loud girlish shriek (is that how you spell it?)
you heard was, well...

But, a lot of grass got cut today, lots of trimming done, all in all a really good day, if I do say so myself. Now it will soon be time to self-medicate and go off to slumber-ville.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FREAKING, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 185/180 - The Fourth of July...

I hope you are all enjoying your Holiday!

I will save you the photographic details, but for the second year in a row (maybe I skipped last year, I don't remember), but positively for the second time since we have been living on the edge of nowhere, I killed another rat snake (or chicken snake, or next egg eating snake in this case). I was out gathering eggs this afternoon, and was surprised that there were three nest eggs missing, and I could not find them anywhere. When I looked under the nesting
boxes, I could faintly see the snake coiled up under one of the boxes. I got the snake out (carefully listening for any signs of rattles, not being particularly brave OR stupid), and hearing none, got the snake outside of the barn, fetching a pair of hedge trimmers along the way. The first set of hedge trimmers were pretty successful at immobilizing the snake, and the second set did the trick for causing his head to separate from the rest of him. From this photo, you can see one of the bulges of nest eggs, I have another photo (topless) where you can see the three egg bulges. Tomorrow I will work on retrieving the next eggs from the carcass.

I had originally intended to show you documentation of me and Jody enjoying a trip to the local Dairy Queen for Blizzards, but you know, rat snakes trump a Dairy Queen Blizzard every time.

Stay safe out there.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, DEAD SNAKE, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 184/181 - Friday...

There is no denying this, this is one BIG fig. So far this is the only one that has ripened, but I have to confess to the fact that I have really not looked at them with any amount of detail. The tree is loaded with figs, and I expected they would have been ripe about a week ago, but so far just this one.

Trying to keep up with the day of the week (ordinarily) is enough trouble, but now with the day (allegedly) off in observance of the Holiday (tomorrow), I am having a more difficult time than usual. I was distressed last night because Shark Tank was not on, but happily surprised to watch an edition of Big Brother. It was not until this morning that I realized my cranial television schedule was off (as well as some other cranial programming) and if I could remember, I had another shot at Shark Tank tonight. It is kind of like having a meeting scheduled; you just found an extra three or four hours that you can totally waste (or catch up on other things you have been putting off) and not feel guilty about. Totally fabulous. So, I am trying my best not to forget that today is actually Friday, and adjust my cranial scheduling appropriately.

Although a large portion of society MIGHT have had the day off today, I did not. I showed property and went into the office and did a few things. All in all it was a pretty good day of working and making small accomplishments. Not too shabby.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, BIG FIGS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 183/182 - Thursday...

See, I told you. We are now more than half-way through the year. You heard it here first. It took me until almost noon to make it into the office this morning, even though I left the house before 7 o'clock. I had a 9 o'clock appointment (which I failed to consider that today was a pseudo-Holiday), so I actually looked for traffic congestion (because I was ahead of schedule), and then I stopped at Panera Bread for a scone, and I still got where I was going about 20 minutes ahead of time. Then I had a 10:30 appointment, and then I headed off to the office. On the way back into Austin, this little brother of mine (this is a 60, I'm an 85) was tag-teaming with me down Bee Cave (there is only ONE cave) Road. It was fun, but we eventually lost one another.

As a curmudgeon and a contrarian, I feel it is my duty to reach out to you all (gentle readers) to either  make me see the err of my way or to start a ground swell of discontent. Tomorrow (July 3rd) is the day (this year) we will observe the Fourth of July Holiday. That means the banks are closed and there will be no postal delivery (because that is the day we are OBSERVING as the Holiday). But, does that in turn mean that banks and postal deliveries will back to normal on Saturday, the actual Fourth of July. I expect the answer is no, but I would expect the day of OBSERVATION would pertain to those who do not typically work (specifically this year) on Saturday, and if Saturday was a typical work day for you, THAT would be the Holiday. I'm just asking.

And I concede that my commute time affords me too much alone time, and so I have to dig up things to think abut if I cannot find anyone to talk with or anyone to play Words With Friends with.

Enjoy your Holiday, no matter how many of them you are fortunate enough to observe this weekend.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, QUESTIONS, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!

2015 - Day 182/183 - Wednesday...

While I was minding my own business at a marathon meeting today, it seems someone was using my credit card to make a number of small purchases, three or four at least, all under $50. Since I am a person of indisputable repute, the credit card company got suspicious that someone was using my credit card number for a series of disreputable charges, but again, they must be on the lower class of the food chain, since all the charges were under $50. And then when you get a text message and an e-mail from the credit card company, THAT makes you suspicious. Who are you supposed to trust? You have to trust somebody, sometime, I guess! And I thought the fortune I got out of the cookie this afternoon was nothing of real import, but there you go. What're you gonna do? If it's in a fortune cookie, it must be gonna happen!

So, we are about mid-way through the year. I guess the mid-way point might actually be midnight tonight, or would it be 11 PM, taking the daylight saving time thing into account? Who knows. Let's just go with, starting tomorrow, we are more than half way through the year.

Tomorrow is the end of the week for most folks, but I will be in the office on Friday, maybe signing a lease and getting some new tenants moved in to a property, and I have property to show to some buyer clients. All-in-all, it is going to be a good week. I will most likely get the actual weekend off, and enjoy the Fourth of July Holiday!

Be careful out there.

Deeds, Actions, Changes, FRAUD, Kindnesses, Whirled Peas, FUN!